2026 F1 Sao Paulo GP qualifying — Norris takes wet pole ahead of penalised Russell

Lando Norris claimed pole for the 2026 F1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix in heavy-rain conditions at Interlagos on November 7. His 1m27.470s lap beat George Russell by 0.204s and Kimi Antonelli by 0.625s, giving the McLaren driver a third consecutive pole at this venue.

Q1: a delayed restart and a changing order

Increasing rain brought out a red flag less than three minutes into Q1. Running resumed after a substantial delay, with drivers returning on full wets. The lead repeatedly changed before Norris topped the segment in 1m30.939s. Colapinto, Gasly, Stroll, Bottas, Perez and Bortoleto were eliminated, with Bortoleto’s car damaged in a crash.

The Cadillac pair completed the first timed laps after the restart. Verstappen then led with 1m37.932s before Alonso briefly displaced him. As the track and the drivers’ confidence evolved, Hulkenberg, Hamilton, Russell and Bearman also took turns on top. Banking a lap through standing water and spray mattered alongside the risk of another interruption leaving a driver in the elimination zone. Camara spun, while Bortoleto ultimately damaged his car in the barriers.

Q2: intermediates improve the times before Camara’s crash

The switch to intermediates changed Q2. Lawson briefly moved approximately 1.6s clear of Bearman before Russell improved the benchmark. Lindblad stopped with a power-unit issue, while Verstappen did not set a Q2 time because he was already facing a back-of-grid penalty.

Camara hit the barriers with less than a minute remaining, causing another red flag. Q2 did not resume. Hamilton, Piastri, Camara, Lindblad, Sainz and Verstappen were eliminated. It was Piastri’s second consecutive Q2 exit.

Q3: the opening two laps decide pole

The opening minutes of Q3 provided the decisive opportunity. Alonso set the first time before Lawson, Russell and Norris joined the fight. Norris completed his best lap before heavier rain restricted further improvements. Leclerc was fourth and Lawson fifth, followed by Hulkenberg, Hadjar, Bearman, Alonso and Albon. Nine teams had a car in Q3.

With about seven minutes still left in Q3, heavier rain had already taken away the best track conditions. Time remaining did not mean another equally useful opportunity. Norris said the aim, knowing more rain was coming, was to complete the opening two laps without mistakes. Russell could not improve after aborting his second attempt and remained second on his earlier completed time.

Why the qualifying top five differs from the grid

The qualifying top five remains Norris, Russell, Antonelli, Leclerc and Lawson, but the race grid also incorporates component penalties. Russell’s excess engine use brings a five-place drop from second to seventh; Leclerc’s ten-place engine penalty moves him from fourth to 14th. Antonelli therefore advances from third to second and Lawson from fifth to third, alongside polesitter Norris at the front of the order. Hamilton, Verstappen and Perez separately face back-of-grid penalties for power-unit changes. These grid positions follow F1’s post-qualifying reporting; the table below records qualifying results, not the penalty-adjusted grid. The race is scheduled for November 8 at 14.00 local time, or 17.00 UTC.

Complete qualifying classification before penalties